Means for drawing sheet-glass.



l. W. COLBURN.

v MEANS EUR DRAWING SHEET GLASS.

APPLICATION FLLED AUG- l4. 1908. l

l Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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I. W. COLBURN.

MEANS FOR DRAWING SHEET GLASS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.I4, 1908.

Suomi-ton Patented 0@t.'12,'1915.

3 SHEETS-,SHEET 2.

3 F162. f WL? Q Mm.

I. VV. COLBURN.

MEANS FOR DRAWING SHEET GLASS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG14. 1908.

' 1,156,273, 4 Pufented 0@t.12,1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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' Umran str-Aras PATENT oFFioE;

IRVING W. COLBURN, F FRANKLIN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BYKMESNE ASSIGILMENTS, TO TOLEDO GLASS COMPANY, 0F TOLEDO, OHIO, .A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

' MEANS ron kDmiwnve SHEET-epass. A l v i 1,156,273. I Specification 0fLetters-Patent- Patented Oct. 12, 1915.

e Application filed August 14, 190s. "seria1mr44a4ss,

To all wwbz t may concern.' v. 7'. on the drive-chains 8 for l advancingit Be 1t known that I, IRVING W. COLBUR'N, from the-reheating chamber 4to the leer of Franklin, Pennsylvania, have invented this same grippingdevice serving to pull the a new and useful Improvement in Means forsheet over the bending roll, after the sheet 5 Drawing Sheet-Glass,which improvement has been drawn, that is, after ithas been ,60d i isfully set forth in the following specifformed by tension applied eitherto por-- lation. l y tions of the drawn sheet or to a bait which, Thisinvention relates to the art of drawas -said sheet or bait rises fromthe molten ing sheet glass bya continuous process,and mass of glass 1 inthe drawing chamber, I more particularly to that class of glass-comdrawsup other molecules of the moltenmass 65 monly known as figured orcathedral glass,v into sheet form. It is thisformation of the thecharacteristic \of which is a iigured, sheet by drawing it out of themolten ma'ss stippled or rough surface. that is technically known in theart as The leading characteristics vof the invendrawing. The sheethaving been drawn tion relate more especiallv to the means by isadvanced into a portion of the open at- 70 which the surface of theglass is given the mosphere below theentrance to the reheatdesiredconfiguration, and also to a novel. ing chamber 4, and by reasoof itsexposure method of maintaining the width of the .to this openatmosphere, it rapidly cools and sheet. hardens, and it is thereforenecessary, in Other specific 'matters 'of improvement order that' thesheet may be bent from its 75 will be hereinafter referred to and thenparvvertical to its horizontal position, that it be ticularly pointedout in the claims. v reheated, and thereby softened or rendered Theinventive idea involved is capable of more plastic, i'n order that-thebending aca variety of mechanical expressions, onev of tion over thebending roll 3 may take place which, for the purpose of illustrating thewithout danger of breaking the glass. Care 80 invention, is shown in theaccompanying must be taken, however, at this point not to drawings, inwhich-` reheat the 'glass to such a degree of temper-l Figure l is asectional perspective view ature that it will be softened sufficientlyfor of the working end of the machine showing the bending roll 3 to haveany modifying the workingchamber for the molten glass, -efect thereon.For the purpose of effecting 8 5 the combined figuring andwidth-maintainthis reheating, burners 8', 8, are inserted ing device,and the front end of the reheatthrough openings in the front wall` D ofthe ing chamber Where the glass is reheated bemachine, preferablydelivering a blast of fore it is passed over the bending roll from flameagainst the mufile 10, as shown in a vertical to a horizontal positionto be Fig.l. As here shown, there is interposed 90 passed through theannealing leer; F ig` 2'is between the carrier table 5v and the bendinga side elevation of the front end of the maroll an idler roll v11 whoseupper surface chine, showing the means for driving the is slightly abovethat of the bending roll 3 combined figuring and width-maintainingand oflthe carrier table 5. I f preferred,

l rolls, a portion of the driving device being however, the bending roll3 may be placed 95 broken away to expose other portions to with itsupper surface in a slightly higher view; and Figs. 3 and 4 are brokendetails.l plane than that of the carrier Itable 5 and Referring to theseveral sheets of the the intermediate roll 11 omitted. e

drawings, in which like numerals indicate All the revolving parts thusfar described like parts, 1 is .the molten glass in any suitl bypreference 'are mounted upon hollow 100y able 'working chamber, and 2 is.the 'cover shafts for the purpose of-circulating a coolportion thereofthrough which there isa ing iiu'id therethrough to obviate thedeletransverse opening. e terious effect lof the'heat incident ,to the 3is the bending roll located inthe front operation of the machine.

or forward end of the reheatin'g chamber 4, Located'in close proximityto the surface 105 and 5 is the carrier table which receives the of themolten glass 1 1n the workmg chamber sheet 6 after it has been bentfromV the V'erare two rolls 12, 12, mounted parallel t0 tical to the'horizontal position over the"`\V and in close ,proximity to each otherin yieldbending roll 3, the sheet .being grasped beiiigfbearings, suchfor example, as that -5 tween the endless carrier table and the barsshown"a t v 13 in Fig. 2, where the bearing 110 boxes for the twoy rollsi@ '12, are shown as yieldingly held pressed toward each other bysprings 14, 141, acted upon by set screws 15, 15 in a manner that rwillbewell understood; The two rolls are spaced the desired distance apartby means of set screws lipassing through a lug 1T on one bearing box`and reacting against a lug 18 on the other bearing box. v

Referring to Figs. 2 and l. 19 is a shaft driven by suitable connecting'gearing' from thermain power shaft of the machine, and connected by auniversal lioint 2O to the sha'ft 21, turningl in bearings 22 mounted onAand rigid with the bearing box 22% of one of the rolls 12. Shaft 21 hasa miter gear 24 meshing with 'a corresponding miter gear onthe shaft ofone of the rolls 12. there being a spur gear rigid on the shaft of :saidroll and gearing with a like spur wheel 27 on theshaft of the other roll12. The teeth of the spur gears 2G and 27 are somewhatk prolonged, sothat even though the two rolls 12, 12, are somewhat separated, Athe`teeth Yo" the said wheels 26, will never theless mesh, and thetworllsoe thereby simultaneously driven through the operation of the'shaft, but in reverse directions, with A, their adjacent faces movingupward and outward. The faces or' these rolls 12, 12,

are figured, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. with the reverse of the patternor stipple that it is desired to impressfupon the face ot the rolledsheet. The rolls 12 and the shafts therefor are hollow, and means areprovided forf circulating water therethrough. rPhe water maybe eithertaken in-at one end ot the shaft on one side ci? the machine andpermitted jto flow out at the other end. as indicated in Fig. 4, or anyother vpreferred construction may be employed. By mount ing these rolls12, 12, in close proximity to the surface of the molten glass 1 in theworking chamber they serve not only to igurethe glass in the desiredmanner.` but they also perform an important part of the drawingoperation proper, that is, of lilt ing the molten glass insheet formfrom ,the molten mass 1, and they also serve to counteract the tendencywhich drawn sheets of glass have to rapidly narrow to'a string or threadas the drawing operation proceeds. l

Preferably, the rolls 12, 12 are driven a speed about one per cent. lessthan. the motion` of the carrier table 5 and the grip bars 7 whereby acertain longitudinal stretching action is imparted to the sheet betweenthe point in the heating chamber where the sheet is grasped by thegripbars 7 and the rolls 12, 12, in the working chamber. H desired, therolls 12, in .addition to the roughened or gured surface, may beprovided ateach end thereof adjacent to the end of .said ronghenedsurltgtee, withannular (langes 3., fill (see Fig, 3). As the sheet otglass drawn upward by the rolls,

1 these llanges Vcontact' .with cacl'r other as shownin Figs. and 5 andthus serve to determine the minimum thickness of the drawn sheet.

ltwill be nnderstoodthat the surface of the molten mass y1 in theworking chamber mis supplied with heat from any suitable source tomaintain it in proper working condition, and ifor the purpose oli' stillfurther n tempering the glass and securing the precise yworkingcondition desired. l may. and some` times do suspend on each side oi theliguring rolls 12, 12, hollow shields 33. 33, through which any suitablecooling fluid. as water, is circulated, entrance to said shields for thewater being through the pipes 3l, 34,

the water linding exit through correspond-- ing pipes at the oppositeend.

Operation: The molten glass 1 in the working chamber haring been broughtto proper working condition. the formation ofkk the sheet 1s.initiatedfin the usual way by inserting asuitable bait into the mass of-niolten glass` which, when the adheres thereto, is slowly elevatedbetween the rolls 12, 12, which yield in their bearings for thispurpose, the sheet of glass being Yformed yas the result of themolecules of glass in the molten mass .following the. bait as it isthus' elevation olf the bait, howereigliits the drawn sheet through thespace between the rolls andtl'ieopenin v 36 in the bottom of the eatingchamber and upward into said chandler and over the benilii'ig; roll 3,the idler roll 11, and, between the carrier table i3 and the gip bars'i'. The partcula r arrangementacilitating this operation of the lA aithas been fully described in my prior of the pre-sent invention need not`be here oweit upon in detail, The sheet having been "drawn," ismaterially chilled or reduced 1n temperature as it passes through theopen atniosphere between the rolls'12, 12,and the 3 mouth 3G ofthereheating ychamber -,lbuty as it enters said chamber it is subjected tothe action ofA 'the heat from' burners 8', 8', and is reheated orsoftened to just 'that degree where it can be bent over thebendinlg roll3 withoutbreaking, without, however, be

made upon the face of the .sheet`I 'ino made sott Ienough rtocause thebending eration of the by the rolls 12, 12. During the elevation of thesheet from the rolls l2 to the mouth 36 of the reheating chamber thedrawn sheet is not only subjected to the cooling iniuence oi theexternal atmosphere, but 'vvill also be more or less cooled by reason ofthe cooling influence lof the Water-cooled shields 33, 33, though lichecooling action of such shields is not essential to the successful opimachine. The narrowing' tendency of; the sheet occurs betvveen the biteof the rolls l2, l2, npon the sheet and the surface oi' the molten massl, and by reason of the hbid which the roughened surface of said rollshas upon the drawn sheet,4 this narrowing tendency is entirely overcome,and Without in'iparting any lateral stretching actionvv to the sheet.lVhen the sheet ot glass is dravvn in the machine as described. thereisy no lateral stretching action of the sheet Whatever. and in fact nostretching action lateral or iongitudinal. except wher is preferred todrive the rolls l2, 12, slightly slower than the corresponding movementof the carrier table 5 and the grip bars 7. The drawn sheet having beencooled between the shields 33, Bf. and bv reason of exposure to theexternal atnmsphere, advanced into the reheating chamber l, and reheatedby the lnrners 8', 8. then bent over the bending roll 8, and receivedupon the carrier table 5, here it seized by the grip bars 7 reactingagainet said tabie. and advanced into and thri'mgh any suitable leer,Where the ;rlass is gradually cooled and thereby nealed.

it will be understood that the skilled mechanic would be capable ofenibodying the inventive idea set forth in the above desi'i-iliedmachineI in a` variety of iorn'is: that variations may be made in theproportions, and in some cases in the relative arrangenfent ol' theparts, and also in some Cases somo ol' the partf's'may be omitted,without departing' from the spirit of my invention, uhich invention isas broad as the claims hereinafter appended.

l. In a machine for drawing figured sheet glass from a mass of moltenglass, apair of sheet-drawing and sheet-figuring rolls lo- -ated at thesheet-forming point and in contact with the sheet from edge to edge, andmeans for driving` said rolls.

2. In a machine ior drawing figured sheet glass 'from a mass ot moltenglass. a pair of sheet-drawing vvidth-maintaining sheet-fig`- uringrolls located at the sheet-forming point and in contact with the sheetfrom edge to edge, and means for driving said l'ollS.

glass 'from a mass of molten glass, apair of ligar .l drawing rollsextending across and contacting with the sheet from edge to edge at thesheet-forming point, and means for driving said rolls, whereby the sheetis sinmltaneously drawn. figured, and widthmaintained by the single pairof rolls.

4. in glass-drawing apparatus, the combination of a receptacle forcontaining a mass of molten glass, a pair of oppositely s. .in a machinefor drawing figured sheet disposed parallel width-maintaining rollsextending transversely across said receptacle, yielding bearings for theshafts of said rolls, gearing connecting` said rolls, and a drive shaftoperatively connected to the .eliat't of one of said rolls, said driveShaft turning in a bearing movable in unison with the bearing oi' one otsaid rolls.

lin testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presenceot' two subscribing witnesses.

7 lunvvaan lt. lNMivN.

